I knew this was too easy. Shiden thought, strapping on the head set and getting his spear out, moving into the hallway and waiting for nykjek. Probably lined with guns on the sides or ceiling or floor.
Nykjek flinched casting a side glance to shiden, before making her staff apear before her paws, Her tail curled around the cool metal as she fixed the headset in a secure, comfortable position. Looking over at revol grinning. A feeling of dread filled her. <span style='color:purple'>Knew that was too easy....</span> she thought to herself, grasping her staff, as its' purple glow tried to soothe her. Soon she followed Shiden into the empty hall, looking at the door with a interest that was only from her fear.
The instant nykjek stepped in, he knew he was right. Oh shit He thought, watching the guns pop out, slicing two of them before they got a chance to fire, then using the wall panel as cover from the fire of the rest. <span style='color:gray'>Any ideas?</span>
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class='ooc'><tr><td>Aye, I be back from vacation, I should be able to post more frequently now. :D </td></tr></table> Revol continued grinning all the way back to the monitor room, and sat down, tapping a single key on his armor's wrist keyboard. Immediately the walls and roof changed into a flurry of moving images, live video feeds from cameras placed throughout the course. The screens moved and changed positions somehow, the screens showing Nykjek and Shiden moving closest to Revol at eye level. He casually tapped the side of his helmet, and then another key on his keyboard, and the mike inside clicked on, giving him a direct feed to the pair. The chatter of autoguns was almost deafening, as large steel spikes were fired at near supersonic speeds to tear into the corridor towards the course runners, being fed from an internal ammunition factory beneath the base. "I suggest you take advantage of those support beams hanging from the ceiling." Revol muttered, and one of the cameras zoomed in on the painted white beams lining each corner of the ceiling, holding up large slabs of steel that made up the roof. If one got rid of them somehow, the roof would become unstable, and either the slabs of steel would fall and blanket the corridor in several tons of crushing death, or the entire roof would collapse, ending the course... "But thats just me..."
Shiden jumped, twisting to avoid another shot at him. He flew up to the support beams, dodging shot after shot, letting the guns target him again. The guns opened fire, the spikes ramming into the connection poing where the beam met the ceiling. <span style='color:gray'>Time to go</span> He said, grabbing nykjek's hand and flying to the other side, suddenly stopping and losing his grip on her, sending her forward. a few of the spikes had impaled his wing to the wall, and more were heading straight at him. Well, this sucks. If only I could break the magic dampners, or overload them He thought, twisting again, the spikes grazing him.
Stopping as a spike flew millimetres from her maw, Nykjek turned round to see Shiden pinned to the wall. Her eyes showed horror as in slow motion she saw the metal points head towards her beloved, Without a thought she shifted into a mass of soft spikes, bubbles of hot blood at the ends of each to take the guns focus from her vital organs. Her wings faded away and her face twisted in pain as the bullets sped through the little pockets of blood . Grabbing the spikes in Shidens wings with her paws. Silent as she desperately tried to pull out the contraptions, An idea sprouted in her fragile mind. Snapping a relic from her staff, A large coin like shaped white symbol. she throws it at one of the spikes heading towards his throat. dislodging the spike in the middle of his wing with the momentum and hearing the satisfying ping and the clatter of the spike stopping in its deadly path. <span style='color:red'>What now?! I can't pull this out without my magick!</span> How could she overload the circuits? and how could shiden get away from the wall?!
Shiden felt a sense of desperation overwhelm him, something snapping inside him. <span style='color:gray'>NO, I WILL NOT LET US DIE THIS DAY</span> He screamed, the dampners breaking and the spikes stopping in midair, electricity crackling over them. He had overloaded the dampners, his powers reaching their limit and finally snapping. the spikes flew back into the guns, destroying them, the ones on his wing falling to the ground. He knew the consequences of this, his pwers would be drained for at least a few days. He felt weak, leaning on nykjek for support.
"Tsk Tsk... Now we're going to have to replace the dampeners in that section... But good work none the less, hurry up and get the hell out of there, and I'm sure the autoguns will cease firing once you step out of that hallway." The voice over the comlink seemed almost dissappointed that the pair had found a way out of the first challenge, but maybe some of the others would prove even more harmful, unfortunately, not the next one, it was simply a puzzle using water levels. But afterwards... "Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention, the challenges will alternate. You'll experience a combat challenge in one area, and the next you'll find either a puzzle or a decision. I'll brief you further once you reach them" But the spikes still hadn't stopped firing, because two or so guns had remained after their backlash assault. The stubborn pieces of hardware were sparking and smoking in several palces, but still managing to loose off a spike every few seconds, not full automatic, but enough to kill someone who wasn't paying attention...
Shiden caught one of the spike with his hand, a millimeter from nykjek's neck. He leapt back into the hall, pulling nykjek with him, and landing against a wall. "Lets rest for a bit." He said, still leaning against the wall, holding nykjek to him, and stabbing the spike into the wall.
A worried expression on her face, she lifted a paw to his tired face, while pulling the spike from the wall with her other paw - it could come in useful... Placing it in a small pouch attached to her side, she nuzzled into him. Chanting and mumbling she held a her paw to his chest her head still tucked under his - a minor healing spell, if only to revitalise his tired body - A green energy passed through her leaving a warm green glow in the shape of her paw. <span style='color:red'>Looks like i need to up my game a bit...</span> she whispered quietly, barely comprehensable to her ears. A few scars had come through her shifting and slowly the upkeep of her appearance was draining her energy, the possibility of returning to her old self was becoming a reality... <span style='color:red'>we had better get this over with...</span> A quick kiss and a gentle rise, Nykjek stood her tail swishing anxiously. Her glowing eyes looking cold and distant.
Revol drummed his armored fingers on the tabletop, not too surprised they passed the first few challenges, but surprised nonetheless. "Good job" He muttered gruffly into the coms link in his visor, and then turned to look at the next room. It was painted green, with stains of red smeared across the walls. Gears were everywhere. Meshed together, spinning in clear view, running swinging blades that swung back and forth among the masses of gears. Obviously both the gears and blades were dangerous in their own right, but if one thought hard enough, this was a puzzle room. The maze of gears, for walls, and blades, for obstacles, made up a maze of sorts... "Head into the next room."
Shiden looked around and saw that it was an obstacle course of sorts. "I hate obstacle courses" He said, clearing his mind and watching the rotations of the gears and blades, getting a feel for a pattern. <span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class='ooc'><tr><td>I can't think this week</td></tr></table>
<span style='color:red'>Ditto on that...</span> Nykjek replied watching the blades dance in and out of each other, she was trying to spot a pattern, but each blade went off differently each time. <span style='color:red'>Is there magick dampners in here? </span> She wasn't entirely sure, and energy was not to be wasted right now. Idylly she played with the spike she had collected earlier on Looking at the gears and everything else around <span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class='ooc'><tr><td> ack it happens, mind blanks are the worst...</td></tr></table>
Revol drummed his fingers on the table. This was the easiest puzzle room, as they got progressively harder as the course progressed. "Use something to jam up the gears, you might stop a few of the blades, and in turn, reveal a path.." <span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class='ooc'><tr><td>No time!</td></tr></table>
In the second after she heard the word 'jam' the spike that she had been playing with ended up through one of the gears. The metal groaned and creaked as it tried to continue its rotations but soon it retired in its travels. Looking back at the blades there was a definate pattern emmerging. She played with the smile on her face as she had finally redeemed herself from her antics before. <span style='color:red'> We find the pattern then go...</span> Nykjek said in a cool manner, a hint of warmness to her love remained, but the training from her younger years was flooding back to her.
Shiden nodded, clearing his mind and watching the blades, seeing a pattern emerge. <span style='color:gray'>Top, bottom, middle, top, top, middle, bottom.</span> He said, saying the pattern and judging the time. So I should jam it right about...now He thought, thrusting his spear into the gear and stopping the top blade an inch from his face. Mental note to self, work on the timing of these things
Revol nodded, smiling grimly at their progress. They seem to have it down... "Nice Work, but I suggest you also look out for hidden blades as well, the design might be so that as soon as you think you're safe, something gets you from an unexpected angle. It's called a double trap, but I'm sure you two know all about that. Got anything that detects traps or hidden spells?" He drummed his fingers on the table, knowing exactly what double, or even triple, traps lay in store for them...
<span style='color:red'>Decoy...</span> was all that Nykjek said after revol had finshed. If she could cast a decoy spirit, then all the hidden traps would be revealed. But she would take at least half the damage it took, but it would work. <span style='color:red'>Shiden we could send a decoy spirit, lest you know another way?</span> She turned her head towards him as she spoke, her paw brushing lightly against his for a moment. It might also be a good idea to shift her wings away, less for her to get caught on that way. And she couldn't feel any dampeners in here either, so if there was oone it would only be a level one or even less.
<span style='color:gray'>Actually, I do</span> He said, pulling out his spear and sticking it into the blades, seeing spikes pop up from the floor and ceiling. <span style='color:gray'>Thought so</span> He said, his spear scratched, but not broken.
Revol nodded, the first secret obstacle completed by a simple, covert maneuver. Long winded magic spells or the endless setting up of plans and explosives was too risky, especially when breaking into an enemy facility, the quicker and stealthier, the better. "Alright, you're almost there, I'm not going to say much, but theres a few more hidden traps and magic casters in this room you might want to watch out for, once you reach the next linking corridor, I'm going to fully assume the role of a Mission Operator, alright? It will start to look like an actual mission rather than a bunch of random obstacles. Good luck." He tapped his fingers on the table, wanting them to succeed and fail at the same time. He resented the love they were allowed to continue, where as his was violently stolen from him, but he was still filled with feelings of hatred towards those who were against him however, and needed the pair to work for him... It was a frustrating matter...
